Peach Melba Bars

Makes 16 cookie bars

Ingredients

For Shortbread Crust

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ cup light brown sugar
  • 1½ sticks unsalted butter, cubed & chilled

For Filling

  • ¾ cup raspberry preserves
  • 1 peach, pitted & thinly-sliced

For Crumble Topping

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • ½ tsp salt
  • freshly-ground nutmeg to taste
  • ½ cup light brown sugar
  • 6 tbsp unsalted butter, cubed & chilled

How-to

Make Shortbread Crust

  1. Preheat oven to 350º
  2. Add flour, light brown sugar and salt in a food processor
  3. Pulse to combine
  4. Turn on food processor and slowly add cubed butter. Process until the butter has been cut into the flour, and is in pea-sized pieces. The mixture will be crumbly
  5. Butter an 8" x 8" square baking pan. Line with two long pieces of parchment paper, both 8" in width. Lay one piece on the bottom and up two of the sides, with overhang (these will be your handles for lifting the bars out of the pan later). Butter the parchment. Repeat with second piece, criss-crossing the first. Butter the parchment again, assuring that the sides are coated well
  6. Transfer the shortbread mixture into the pan. Spread evenly, then lightly pat into a crust

Add Filling

  1. Dollop preserves atop crust and spread evenly
  2. Lay half of the thinly-sliced peach atop in rows

Make Topping & Bake

  1. In food processor, pulse together flour, brown sugar, salt and nutmeg
  2. With processor on, slowly add chilled, cubed butter and process until the butter has been cut into the flour and is in pea-sized pieces
  3. Sprinkle most of topping atop sliced peaches in pan. Nestle the other half of the thinly-sliced peaches in the crumble topping in rows
  4. Sprinkle the remaining crumble topping, but don't completely cover the peaches
  5. Bake 30 minutes or until topping has lightly browned
  6. Allow to cool in pan before lifting parchment out and slicing cookies